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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · ball · pass · kid · current · sharp · craft · plane

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. craft — boats
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ball — a great time
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. craft — a skill
  15. current — of water
  16. ball — a dance
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. kid — to tease
  19. current — electric
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pass — a permit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com